The Trans States Airlines Blog

We received the below note from a DEN station employee, who told us how Captain Ryan Pedrazzini, First Officer Rodrigo Anzola and Flight Attendant Bailey Mayo worked together to save a flight that seemed destined for cancellation.

On August 10, I was assigned to meet flight 3377 from IND at gate B51 in DEN, and work the subsequent turn to RAP. It was a typical evening in Denver, as many flights were delayed due to a thunderstorm. Flight 3377 was no exception, as it was delayed leaving IND by approximately 90 minutes. When I arrived at the gate around 22:30 to greet the passengers traveling to RAP, I informed them that their departure would be delayed until approximately 23:15. As expected, 3377 arrived at the gate at 22:58, and all passengers and cargo were unloaded.

At that time, I met Captain Ryan Pedrazzini, who informed me that there was a maintenance issue that would need to be checked before the aircraft could take off for RAP. At that time, the amount of time needed for the repair was unknown, but it was clear that the flight crew of Captain Pedrazzini, First Officer Rodrigo Anzola, and flight attendant Bailey Mayo needed to be airborne before 00:18 to avoid timing out. Based on previous experience, I assumed that the flight would cancel and we would be stranding 43 RAP passengers in Denver overnight.

I was surprised when I arrived at the aircraft to find that First Officer Anzola was already on ramp level doing his walk around and preparing for the flight, even though there was a known maintenance issue and a clear time issue for the crew. While speaking with Captain Pedrazzini, he informed me that we would be unable to board until maintenance had checked the aircraft. At this time I was preparing for a cancellation. Even with a probable cancellation looming, Captain Pedrazzini decided to prepare and fuel the aircraft as if it was going to fly and went to get the flight paperwork. In the meantime, flight attendant Bailey Mayo made sure that the aircraft would be ready for boarding, when and if the aircraft could fly.

At approximately 23:15 the mechanic arrived on the jetway. He quickly assessed the situation and informed us that it would take at least 30 minutes to do all of the checks necessary. By this time, Captain Pedrazzini had returned with the flight release, First Officer Anzola had completed his walk around, and the cabin was ready for passengers, thanks to Miss Mayo. The ground crew and fueler were also on point, the aircraft was fueled, and the bags were ready to be loaded.

After about 20 minutes, the mechanic gave us great news! He had completed running the systems checks, and determined that the aircraft was fit to fly. We were able to begin boarding the aircraft. Thanks to the readiness of the flight crew and the quick work of your mechanic, we quickly boarded the aircraft and were able to save the flight. It departed at 23:58, well short of the crew timing out.

Captain Pedrazzini, First Officer Anzola, and Miss Mayo are an exceptional example of what a flight crew should be. I have been in similar circumstances many times, and typically the flight crew in question will wait for answers before preparing for the flight, generally resulting in a cancellation and unhappy passengers. This crew was ready to go, even when they were aware that the flight was likely to be cancelled. We also have 43 passengers who made it to their destination. It is great to see that you have a crew like this one working for you. They represent TSA and United Express exceptionally well, and I am very grateful to have worked with them.

The Trans States Airlines Above & Beyond program recognizes employees who go above and beyond what’s expected of them to provide outstanding service to our passengers. These three crew members are perfect examples of what it means to go above and beyond, and will be entered in the third quarter Above & Beyond contest in the team category. Great job!